Tell me a story
Pull up a cuppa and have a kōrero.
All those tears on your cheeks
Just like deja vu flow now
When grandmother speaks
So tell me a story (I'll tell you a story)
Spell it out, I can't hear (What do you want to hear?)
Why you wear black in the morning?
Why there's smoke in the air?
Songwriter: Greg Johnson.
Mōrena all ☀️
Something a bit different today, I’d like you to tell me, and each other, a story, and it can be anything you want.
Yesterday, on one of my Facebook posts, your fellow reader, Vicky, told the story of her forebears' travelling to Aotearoa and their passionate political discussions. I thought it would be lovely to share some stories today, if that is okay with you.
So tell us a story—it can be anything you like. Tales often accompany Births, Deaths, and Marriages, or perhaps you’d like to tell us about a favourite Christmas or tradition you have.
It doesn’t have to be from the past; you’re welcome to share how you’re feeling this year, perhaps an achievement you’re proud of or maybe what one of the mokopuna has been up to.
You can bring whatever you’d like to share with the group; it doesn’t have to be a story. Perhaps you have a favourite music clip or YouTube video you’d like to share—tell us about that. Maybe you have a book or movie recommendation. Or perhaps you’d like to pose a question to the group.
This newsletter is open to all, although you must be a paid subscriber to add comments and participate. If you wish to subscribe, you can access my Christmas special of 25% off here, or the Gold Card discount here. You can also find my standard subscription rates here.
Have a great day, all you lovely people! I look forward to hearing your stories or comments. 🙂
Ngā mihi,
Nick.
I’ve always loved the Greg Johnson song, Isabelle. You can find the original here, but there’s a lot to like about this cover by Mel Parsons.
With the holidays looming, our teenagers have been planning trips for New Year, camping, and such. I've been warning them about the availability and price at this time of year, even for campsites - but as is the way of teenagers, they aren't much for taking that seriously - I wouldn't have been either.
Anyway, I thought Christmas/New Year accommodation was expensive until I decided that after all the events of this year and how important it will be next year, I ought to go to Waitangi to take it all in and write about it. Holy heck, virtually nothing was available, and what was available cost a lot for not very much.
Anyway, I found a place for Fi and I to stay for a few days that, while eye-wateringly expensive, at least looks nice for the money. So yeah, I've never been to Waitangi on Waitangi Day before, only for a visit at a different time when a friend worked in the hotel there back in about 1990. I'm pretty excited to be going. Maybe I'll see some of you there.
I popped this into a Substack note yesterday, not sure how many of you read notes, but if you haven't seen it this short clip of Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke talking to John Campbell is quite something:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2opxY6rGEYw